Shloka 26

Transmission of Bhāgavata Wisdom and Brahmā’s Vision of the Supreme Lord on Ananta

Devanagari script

पुंसां स्वकामाय विविक्तमार्गै- रभ्यर्चतां कामुदुघाङ्‌घ्रि पद्मम् । प्रदर्शयन्तं कृपया नखेन्दु- मयूखभिन्नाङ्गुलिचारुपत्रम् ॥ २६ ॥

Transliteration

puṁsāṁ sva-kāmāya vivikta-mārgair abhyarcatāṁ kāma-dughāṅghri-padmam pradarśayantaṁ kṛpayā nakhendu- mayūkha-bhinnāṅguli-cāru-patram

Translation

Pour ceux qui L’adorent sur la voie retirée de la bhakti pure, sans souillure matérielle, les pieds de lotus du Seigneur sont la source de toutes les grâces. Par compassion, le Seigneur éleva et montra ses pieds de lotus; l’éclat transcendantal de ses ongles, pareils à la lune, faisait paraître les orteils comme de beaux pétales.

Synonyms

• puṁsām: of people
• puṁsām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pumān (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; ‘of men/of persons’

• sva-kāmāya: for one’s own desire
• sva-kāmāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; ‘for one’s own desire’

• vivikta-mārgaiḥ: by secluded paths
• vivikta-mārgaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vivikta (प्रातिपदिक) + mārga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘by secluded paths/ways’

• abhyarcatām: of those worshipping
• abhyarcatām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-arc (धातु) + śatṛ/śānac (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शानच्), षष्ठी, बहुवचन; ‘of those who worship’

• kāma-dugha-aṅghri-padmam: the wish-fulfilling lotus-feet
• kāma-dugha-aṅghri-padmam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + dugha (√duh धातु, क्तिन्/कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + aṅghri (प्रातिपदिक) + padma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘the lotus of the feet that yields desires’

• pradarśayantam: showing
• pradarśayantam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√dṛś (धातु) + ṇic + śatṛ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘showing’

• kṛpayā: by compassion
• kṛpayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛpā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘by compassion’

• nakhendu-mayūkha-bhinna-aṅguli-cāru-patram: with lovely toe-petals marked by nail-moonbeams
• nakhendu-mayūkha-bhinna-aṅguli-cāru-patram: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nakha (प्रातिपदिक) + indu (प्रातिपदिक) + mayūkha (प्रातिपदिक) + bhinna (√bhid धातु, क्त कृदन्त) + aṅguli (प्रातिपदिक) + cāru (प्रातिपदिक) + patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘having beautiful petals (toes) split/marked by moonbeam-like rays from the nails’ (qualifying aṅghri-padmam)

Purport

The Lord fulfills the desires of everyone just as one desires. Pure devotees are interested in achieving the transcendental service of the Lord, which is nondifferent from Him. Therefore, the Lord is the only desire of the pure devotees, and devotional service is the only spotless process for achieving His favor. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.11) that pure devotional service is jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam: pure devotional service is without any tinge of speculative knowledge and fruitive activities. Such devotional service is able to award the pure devotee the highest result, namely direct association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa. According to the Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad, the Lord showed one of the many thousands of petals of His lotus feet. It is said: brāhmaṇo ’sāv anavarataṁ me dhyātaḥ stutaḥ parārdhānte so ’budhyata gopa-veśo me purastāt āvirbabhūva. After penetrating for millions of years, Lord Brahmā could understand the transcendental form of the Lord as Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in the dress of a cowherd boy, and thus he recorded his experience in the Brahma-saṁhitā in the famous prayer govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi.

Characters & Entities

• Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu
• Brahmā

FAQs

What does Srimad Bhagavatam say about the Lord’s lotus feet being wish-fulfilling?

This verse describes the Lord’s lotus feet as kāmadhuk—wish-fulfilling—because people worship them according to their aims, and by His mercy He reveals those feet as the ultimate shelter.

Why is Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu described so poetically in Canto 3 Chapter 8?

Śukadeva Gosvāmī is narrating Brahmā’s emergence and the cosmic manifestation; the Lord’s transcendental form—especially His lotus feet—is praised to show that creation rests on divine mercy, not mere mechanics.

How can a modern devotee apply the teaching of Bhagavatam 3.8.26?

Choose a steady sādhana (hearing, chanting, worship) centered on the Lord’s feet as your refuge; even when desires arise, redirect them toward devotional service, trusting that His mercy gradually purifies and fulfills what is truly beneficial.